2017 Crop Challenge Winners in Analytics Winners Announced

The BioSense Institute in Serbia is the winner of this year’s Syngenta Crop Challenge in Analytics.
Two members from the BioSense Institute in Serbia, Marko Pani (second from left) and Oskar Marko (third from left), receive a plaque for winning the second annual Syngenta Crop Challenge in Analytics. Also pictured are Joseph Byrum (far left) with Syngenta, Crop Challenge Committee Chair Robin Lougee (second from right) and INFORMS representative Stefan Karisch (far right).
Two members from the BioSense Institute in Serbia, Marko Panić (second from left) and Oskar Marko (third from left), receive a plaque for winning the second annual Syngenta Crop Challenge in Analytics. Also pictured are Joseph Byrum (far left) with Syngenta, Crop Challenge Committee Chair Robin Lougee (second from right) and INFORMS representative Stefan Karisch (far right).
By Lauren Jones
The Analytics Society of INFORMS has recognized a team from the BioSense Institute in Serbia as the winner of the second annual Syngenta Crop Challenge in Analytics. The institute is a multidisciplinary research organization dedicated to using technology to help ensure the food supply for the world’s growing population.

The team, which included Oskar Marko, Sanja Brdar, Marko Panić, Isidora Šašić, Milivoje Knežević, Danica Despotović, Vladmir Crnojević and Zorana Djindjica, received a $5,000 prize for its entry, “Portfolio Optimization for Seed Selection in Diverse Weather Scenarios.”

“The Syngenta Crop Challenge in Analytics exemplifies how individuals with expertise in industries beyond agriculture—in this case, data analytics—can contribute to solving the complex challenges inherent in agriculture.”

Joseph Byrum
The submission set forth a mathematical strategy for predicting farmers’ soybean seed-variety demand.

“The Syngenta Crop Challenge in Analytics exemplifies how individuals with expertise in industries beyond agriculture—in this case, data analytics —can contribute to solving the complex challenges inherent in agriculture,” says Joseph Byrum, Ph.D., MBA, PMP, senior R&D strategic marketing executive with Syngenta and Syngenta lead for the Crop Challenge committee.

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